Ventilator



Marc 10, 1942. s. F. SHAWH AN ET AL 2,275,564

VENTILATOR Filed Dec. 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY March 10, 1942.

S. F. SHAWHAN El AL VENTILATOR Filed Dec. 2, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 rfrom the outdoor atmosphere,

' requirements of Patented Ma. 10, 1942 VENTlLATOR Sam F. Shawhan andConstant E. Nicolet, Syra- N. assignors to Carrier Corporation,

Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 2,1938,sci-m No. 243,503

(CL-9H4) 6 Claims.

to air circulating apparly to air circulating and This invention relatesratus and more particul ventilating units.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved aircirculating and ventilating unit of the type adapted to be positioned in2 window opening or the like, of an enclosure, which by reason of itsunique design affords various advantages over devices heretofore known.

Thus, an object of the invention is to provide an air circulating unitwhich is adapted to dis charge into an enclosure either recirculated airwithdrawn. from the enclosure or outdoor air withdrawn from th outdooratmosphere, or a mixture of recirculated and outdoor air in any desiredproportions.

It is another objector the invention to provide an air circulating andventilating unit, which removes dust, pollen, grime and other foreignmatter from all air discharged from the unit,

drawn regardless of whether the discharged air is or from theenclosureserved by the unit, or from both.

It is another object of the invention to provide an air", circulatingand entilating unit of the type adapted to ,be positioned in a windowopening which is weatherproof and which may be sealed effectivelyagainst the entrance of air from the outdoor atmosphere whenever this isdesired, thus to prevent the infiltration of outdoor air into theenclosure and to provide positive protection against the action ofstrong winds or the like.

It is another object of the invention to provide an air circulating andventilating device adapted to be positioned in the window opening of anenclosure which is itself extremely quiet in operation and whichadditionally serves to mize the transmission of noises from the outdooratmosphere to the enclosure served by the device;

It is another object an air circulating and ventilating unit of thewindow type which assures a constant and positive circulation of air,free from drafts, and at a rate which may be varied in accordance-withthe suit personal preferences.

Still another object of the invention is to pro-- vide an aircirculating and ventilating apparatus which is relatively simpl indesign, inexpensive to construct and operate, and which is reliable andefllcient in operation; which is complete, compact, and self-contained;and-which may be installed quickly and easily in any desired location,and readily removed for reinstallation in any other desired location. i

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of a ventilating andair circulating device of the type adapted to be positioned in the window opening or the like of an enclosure, which is provided with an inletfor recirculated air drawn from the enclosure, an inlet for outdoor airwith drawn from the outdoor atmosphere, and a device for regulating theproportions in which air is drawn through each of these inlets fordelivery to the enclosure, provide for air flow through one or the otherof said inlets exclusively, should this be desired.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of an aircirculating and ventilating unit provided with a recirculated air inlet,an outdoor air inlet communicating with the outdoor atmosphere, andmeans for passing air from both of said inlets through a filter adaptedto remove foreign matter therefrom, the air then being discharged intothe enclosure in an upward direction in such manner as to provide anactive circulation of air therein without objectionable streaks ordrafts.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be morelowing description, to be read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a ventilator unit embodying theinvention in a preferred form;

of the invention to provide particular installations or to Fig. 2 is afront elevational view of the unit of Fig. 1, partly broken away to showportions of the interior thereof Fig. 3-is a sectional of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional 44 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view,taken on line 55 of Fig. 2, and illustrating the mechanism for operatingthe proportioning damper.

Referring now to the drawings, similar designations referring to similarparts, numeral Ill designates generally a cabinet of generally elongatedconflguration and adapted to be positioned in a window opening or thelike of an enclosure When the unit is positioned as intended,'the frontthereof will extend from the window into the enclosure to be servedthereby while the rear portion i 2 will extend rearwardly of the windowopening into th outdoor atmosphere. Extending along the top and down thesides of the cabinet I! there is preferably provided a sealing strip 43of suitable resilient material, suchas view, taken on the line view,taken on the line said device being arranged to apparent from thefolrubber or the like, preferably received within a containing channeli4. Thus when the window with which the unit is associated is closed,the lower portion of the window sash will engage the sealing strip l3 toform an effective air seal. If desired, there may be provided suitablefiller strips of a type well known in the art for filling up the spacebetween the sides of the cabinet and the sides of the window opening.Preferably, these filler pieces are adjustable. Since various devices ofthis character are well known and understood in the art, no furtherdescription thereof is deemed required here, it being sufficient tounderstand that they eiiectively'prevent the passage of air between theenclosure and the outdoor atmosphere.

The front wall l5 of curved, as best seen in Figs. portion of the frontwall I5 is provided with a grilled recirculated air inlet opening IEwhile the upper portion of the front wall is is provided with one ormore suitably grilled outlet openings IT. AS illustrated, two outletopenings ll are employed, but it will be understood that, if desired, asingle outlet opening, or any desired number thereof; may be employed.Preferably, both the recirculated air inlet opening l6 and the airdischarge opening ll extend substantially completely throughout thelength of the cabinet 1, 3 and 4. The lower It will be observed that therecirculated air opening l6, because of the contour ofthe front platel5, tends to draw air upwardly into the cabinet, whereas the airdischarge openings ll, because of the configurationof the front platel5, tend to discharge air upwardly from the unit.

This formation. of the inlet and discharge openings therefore tends toinitiate and foster an active rotary circulation of air throughout theenclosure served by the unit. Further, it will be noted that the airwhich is delivered from the unit in an upward direction is caused to mixwith and be attemperated by the air inth.e enclosure, so that before theintroduced air enters the zone of occupancy its velocity and conditionthe cabinet is preferably top of the cabinet, and extending.substantially throughout the length of the cabinet.

The air discharged from the fans through openings is delivered into adischarge chamber 28 formed between the front wall l5 and the partition21. To provide for the deadening of noises which might otherwise betransmitted within the enclosure served by the unit, the walls ofchamber 28 are preferably provided with suitable sound-absorbingmaterial. Thus, the inside of the front plate I5 is preferably providedwith a sound-absorbing packing or the like, designated 29, and a similarpacking is provided on the front side of the partition 21. The soundabsorbers and 3B are efiective not only to minimize noises due tooperation of the unit itself, but also prevent the transmission ofnoises coming from the outdoors. The silent operation of the unit isfurther enhanced by the free mounting of partition l8 as abovedescribed. Thus any vibrations due to operation of the motor and fan,rotors are taken up by oscillation of the partition l8 between itsends, and these vibrations are prevented, in large measure, from beingtransmitted to the outer casing. Similarly, the supports 20 and themotor 2| are provided with suitable sound-absorbing cushions of anydesired type.

The upper rear portion of the cabinet comprises a casing sectiondesignated 3| which is pivotally mounted in any desired manner at 32.

., and is adapted to be rotated rearwardly, asinhave both been tempered.Thus despite the active circulation of substantial quantities of air,

" the unit provides freedom from drafts, streaks and the like, and onthe contrary gives assurance of positive, healthful and comfortable aircirculation at all times.

Extending lengthwise of the unit 'throughout the length thereof is ahorizontal partition l8v which extends from the front plate l5, at apoint above the recirculated air inlet l6, rearwardlyof the unit, thepartition terminating a substantial distance from the rear of the unit.The partition i8 may be supported in any desired manner, but preferablyis supported by being welded or similarly secured to the end walls ofthe cabinet, the partition being free between the end walls of thecabinet.

Supported by the partition l8 centrally of the cabinet is. a supportingplatform l9 carrying brackets 20 which in. turn support an electricmotor 2|. Positioned on either side of motor 2| is a fan rotor 22supported and rotated by shaft 23 extending from the motor 2|. iscontained within a fan scroll 24. The fan scrolls 24 are preferablyprovided with double inlet openings 25 for admitting air to the fan Eachfan rotor dicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The casing I section 3|carries a pan-type support 33, which is preferably welded or otherwisesuitably secured th'ereto, the support 33 serving to receive and containa removable filter 34, which preferably .extends throughout the lengthof the unit in-.

terior.

When the casing section 3|. is in normal position, as seen in Figs. 1and 3, the support 33 and.

removable filter 34 are snugly received between anupwardly extendingportion 35 of partition l8 and an upwardly extendingportion 36 of theplate forming the supporting platform i9. Thus portions 35 and 36 forman effective seal which prevents the passage of air through the rear ofthe cabinet and to the region of the fans, ex-.

cept through the filter 34.

It will be noted that the partition |8 provides a passage 31 forrecirculated air which extends rearwardly of the cabinet from therecirculated air inlet opening IS, the passageway 31 bein adapted todeliver air from the inlet Hi to the air supply chamber 38, from whichchamber air is .-drawn through the filter 34 for supply to the areaserved by the unit. Also, it will be observed that the lower rearportion of. the unit is provided with an outdoor air inlet opening 39,this opening being formed between the bottom wall 40 of the cabinet andthe bottom of the rear wall 4| of the cabinet, the rear wall 4|comprising a part of the pivotally mounted casing portion 3|. Thus uponoperation of the fans 22, air may be drawn in to the cabinet from theenclosure served, through inlet l6, and also from the outdooratmosphere, through inlet 39.

At times, it may be desired to circulate return air only and to preventthe admission of any outdoor air to the enclosure. At other times, it

. may be desired to circulate outdoor air exclusively, and not torecirculate any air from the enclosure. At other times, it may bedesired to circulate both outdoor air and return air in varyingproportions. To provide for desiredcondependent upon ing 33.

The damper 42 may be hingedly mounted in any desired manner, but it isvide a u-shaped channel 43 within which an extending lip 44 of thedamper 42 is received. This construction provides a freely acting hingepreferred to prothere is provided a damper 3 mounting for the damper andat the same time the U-shaped channel 43 provides an'enective air seal.Further, the hinge structure is effectively protected againstthe-elements. The damper 42 is so formed that when the top of the damperis moved toward the front of the cabinet, thetop of the damper will abutthe extension piece 35, so that if the damper ismoved to the maximumforward position, it will serve completely to interrupt the flow of airthrough inlet opening l and passageway 31, and will cause outdoor airexclusively to be supplied to the fans for delivery to the enclosureserved. Conversely, if the top of the damper 39 is moved to the maximumposition rearwardly of the cabinet, its top flange 45 will abut aresilient sealring strip or the like 45, mounted on a flange at thebottom of rear wall 4|, and thus will cause complete interruption of thesupply'of outdoor air to the cabinet, and will result in the circulationof return air exclusively. When the damper is in intermediate positions,both return air and outdoor airwill be circulated by the unit, theproportions of outdoor air and return air being the position of thedamper in each case.

The damper 42 is preferably regulated in position by means of a lever 41extending outside the cabinet and, adapted readily to be rotated by anoperator. The lever 41 is connected to a link 48 which controls theposition of control bar 49 pivotally connected to the damper 42, asindicated at 50. It will beapparent that when the top of the lever 41 ispushed toward the rear, of the cabinet the damper willbe moved towardthe position in which it permits maximum recirculation of return air,while when the top of lever 41 is moved toward the front of the cabinetthe damper will be moved into position in which it aiiords a maximumsupply of outdoor air to the fans of the apparatus.

In ventilator units heretofore known, .a common shortcoming has been theinadequacy of these units to prevent the entrance of outdoor air whenthis was not desired. It will be noted that when the damper 42 of thepresent construction is positioned to cut off the supply of outdoor air,there is provided an effective seal both at the bottom of the damper, bymeans of the channel 43, and at the top of the damper,

by me'ans of the flange'45 andthe sealing member 46. Further, when theopening 39 is completely closed by damper 42, the movement of the damperinto this extreme position throws the damper off-center so far as itspivotal mounting in the channel 43 is concerned. Hence, the effectiveseals of the channel 43 and the flange 45 continue to prevent theingress of outdoor air.

even though-there be exerted a substantial wind force on the damper 42,for the off-center position of the damper will cause a locking actionsufiicient to prevent'such undesired opening of the damper 42.

Because of the protected location of the outdoor inlet 39, there islittle opportunity for rain,

snow or the like to enter within the cabinet but since small quantitiesof water may collect in the cabinet from time to time due to unusualcircumstances, there is preferably provided a small drain opening 5! inthe bottom wall 40 of the cabinet.

To insure the stable positioning of the cabinet within all types ofwindow openings, regardless of the formations of the window sills,thereare preferably provided two or more adjusting screws 52 extendingthrough openings in the partition l8 and extending through suitablethreaded openings in the bottom wall 40 of the cabinet. Thus, if theouter window sill at which the cabinet is installed slopes downwardlysharply from the region of the window sash, the screws will be extendeddownwardly a substantial distance below the bottom wall 40 of thecabinet, in order to provide the desired support. If the window sill isrelatively flat, however, it will be understood that the desired supportmay be obtained by adjusting the screws they extend only slightly belowthe bottom wall 40 of the cabinet.

I Although any type of inlet and discharge grilles'may be utilized inconjunction with the invention, it is preferred that the air dischargeoutlet'l'! be provided with adjustable vanes 53. While the adjustablevanes 53 may be of any desired type and may be individually mounted, itis preferred that they be interconnected so that by adjustment of asingle operating lever 54, the discharge direction of an entire set ofvanes may be regulated to provide for discharge .of air from the unit inthe desired direction.

While the housing of the apparatus may be fabricated in any desiredmanner, the preferred construction embraces the bending ofthe top wallof the housing to provide a downwardly extop wall of the housing achannel 56 so positioned that one of the legs 5600f the channel venientaccess to inside the chamber 28 abuts the downwardly extending portion55. The top of partition 21 is slightly bent over upon itself and a bolt"is used to connect the channel leg 5611 with the bent-over portion ofpartition 21. This construction is preferred since it eliminates thenecessity for using screws or bolts which would be visible through thedischarge grilles ii. In the construction illustrated, nothing isvisible except the uniform surface of the sound absorber 30.

While any suitable arrangement may be employed for controlling theoperation of the fan motor 2|, it is preferred to provide a rheostat 58under the control of knob 59 for controlling the speed of the fan motor,thus to provide for desired control of the rate at which air'isdischarged from the unit. An electrical extension plug 50 is providedfor plugging in the electrical circuit of the unit to any suitablesource of electrical energy.

It will be observed that the unit is entirely self-contained and thusmay be installed quickly and readily wherever desired, and may also beremoved readily whenever this is desired.

It will be appreciated, further, that the pivotal mounting of the casingportion 3! permits conall portions of' the interior of the unit. Thus itpermits the filter 34 to be removed and replaced as required with greatfagizlity, and permits access to the stabilizer screws Since manychanges may be made in the invention without departing from its scope,it is 52 in such manner that intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense, applicantslimiting themselves only as indicated in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A window ventilator comprising a casing having a front stationarysection and a rear section swingable about hinged mounting means, areturn air inlet formed in the front section of said casing proximatethe lower portion thereof, the portion of the wall of said casing inwhich said inlet is formed being at an acute angle with respect to ahorizontal plane, anoutdoor air inlet formed in said casing at the rearthereof beneath the hinged rear section, filter means in the hinged rearsection, means providing a comthe rear lower fixed portion of the casingand the rear lower pivoted portion of the casing, said? mon passage forcommunication between said return air inlet and said filter and saidoutdoor air inlet and said filter, whereby air may be supplied from bothof said inlets to said filter, blower means for drawingair through saidfilter, and a discharge outlet in the same wall in which said return airinlet is formed adapted to discharge air from said casing in an upwarddirection into i the area served by the apparatus.

2. A window-type air circulating and ventilating unit comprising acasing, a return air inlet extending upwardly at an acute angle to the.

horizontal through the front wall; of said casing proximate the lowerportion thereof to draw the air upwardly into the casing,said inletextending substantially throughout the length of said casing and adischarge-air outlet formed in said front wall adapted to discharge. airfrom the easing in formedbetween .two portions of said casing at therear thereof and extending substantially throughout the length thereof,filter means, means providing communication between said return airinlet and said filter means and said outdoor air inlet and said filtermeans, whereby air may be supplied from both of said inlets to saidfilter means, blower means for drawing air through said filter means,and a discharge outlet adapted to discharge air from said casing intothe area served by the apparatus, the blower being located between thefilter and the discharge outlet, said discharge outlet extendingsubstantially throughout the length of said casing.

3. A window-type air circulating and ventilating unit according to claim2 inwhich the rearward portion of said casing is pivotally mounted uponan upward direction, an outdoor air inlet the outdoor air inlet being.formed between the rear lower fixed air inlet being formed beneathfilter means being removably mounted within said rearward pivotedportion of said casing, whereby when the rearward portion of the casingis pivoted away from the remaining portion of the casing, the filter mayreadily be removed,

and replaced.

a. A window-type air circulating and ventilating unit including a casinghaving an air inlet formed proximate the front bottom portion thereof, arear bottom portion in said casing, an outdoor air inlet formedproximate the rear bottom portion, partition means separating theinterior of said casing into an upper and a lower section, saidpartition means extending rearwardly to a point proximate but spacedfrom the rear of said casing and forming in combination with the bottomof said casing an air passageway adapted to receive air from said returnair inlet opening, fan means and driving means therefor mounted on andpositioned above said partition means, a filter positioned rearwardly ofsaid fan means and said fan driving means in spaced relation from therear wall of said casing, said filter being in the path of air passingto said fan means from said passageway and from said outdoor air inletopening, and means forming an upwardly extending discharge passagewayadaptedto receive air from said fan means and to discharge tus and beingformed between the front wall of and with respect to the remainder ofsaid casing,

said casing and said other partition means.

5. A unit according to claim 4 in which a rear portion of said casing ispivotally mounted upon andiwith respect to the remaining portion of saidcasing, and in which said filter is mounted within said rear casingportion, so that by pivotal adjustment of said rear casing portion saidfilter may readily be withdrawn and replaced.

6.- A unit according to claim 4 characterized by'the fact that saidoutdoor inlet opening is formed between the. rear bottom portion of thecasing and the lower edge of the pivoted portion of the casing.

\ SAM F. SHAWHAN.

CONSTANT E. NICOLET.

